Mopars can be cool!

[njsteve]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Ziggysdad</div><div class="ubbcode-body">
Sam

Hate to be a party pooper, but in the day the street hemi had the mystique but never ran. The 440 6 packs always blew their doors in and any big block solid lifter Chevy (L78 396 or 427) left their owners crying. </div></div>

My 70 hemi Charger ran 11.70 when it was 2 years old and street raced regularly in Central Joysey. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/naughty.gif[/img]

...and ran a 12.77 @ 111 through the exhaust, on street tires, when it was 22 years old. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/grin.gif[/img]



with some embarrassingly terrible 60 foot times. [img]<<GRAEMLIN_URL>>/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[Ziggysdad]

Steve

You got a great one there. The two cars I refer to were a 68 GTX and a 69 Roadrunner. They just did not run for all they were cracked up to be. I beat both of them with my 66 L78 Chevelle SS,12.82 with slicks,heaaders and 4.88 gears. A previous owner of my 63 Max Wedge ran a 12.6 @ 113 mph. Road and Track in the day recorded a 12.0 @ 117 mph. I love my Chevy big blocks but vintage Mopars rock!

[Salvatore]

have to leave Kenny's SS/B car out of that mix Rob. That is a full blown race car, NOTHING like anything you could buy in the showroom. And yes the six-pack cars ran well but I don't remember many if any beating a good running L78 camaro, nova or chevelle where I lived on most occasions.

[Ziggysdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: [email protected]</div><div class="ubbcode-body">have to leave Kenny's SS/B car out of that mix Rob. That is a full blown race car, NOTHING like anything you could buy in the showroom. And yes the six-pack cars ran well but I don't remember many if any beating a good running L78 camaro, nova or chevelle where I lived on most occasions. </div></div>

Sam
Kenny bought both his belvedere and Cuda with race henis ordered from the dealer. Over the years I am sure they have been massaged, but you could order one at the dealer, same as the max wedge in 62, 63, and 64. They were race cars also. That is what made these cars unique. Anyone could order one at any Dodge or Plymouth dealer. No true race car was available from any GM or Ford dealer for the general public, unless you want to include the Z/28 which was ready to race. The Trans Am was not available at the dealer with the 303 in it. You are right about the six packs and street hemis in the day. I was never beaten by one of the two I mentioned either on the street or at the Grove in my L78 Chevelle.

[Salvatore]

YES, both race cars from the factory. BUT if you saw a SS/AH cuda or dart or Kenny Montgomery's car you would not recognize them as you have 40 years ago. Yes, factory race cars like the Zl-1 camaro but nothing like the day you brought it home. Go to Cecil Couny this weekend to the NHRA DIV-1 race and give us a report on Monday what the Hemi cars or any other &quot;factory&quot; racecars look today compared to new. Check out the SS/C, 4 speed AMX with the dual quads that runs in the 9 teens. Aris Asdorian from Bethlehem, pa. Not like the showroom in these days.

[olredalert]

----If I can throw a bit of fuel on the fire, a &quot;street stock&quot; Hemi wasnt generally that fast a ride. I whipped more than a few of them, and have owned more than a few of them. That part was relatively easy as weight was the difference. The guys that dug into them a bit (not just posers with an idle and an emblem) found that they needed about two more points of compression and a bit wilder cam. Any sort of good internals didnt hurt either. That plus good exhaust and a gear and any hemi around Akron Ohio would spank just about anybody who was willing to come out to play. Just the same as many here, I know as I was there!!! I used to get drilled on a regular basis when the serious Hemi guys came out as my 66 427/425 Vette only had a 3:70. No matter how much tuning we did we would not get the job done when they showed up unless they broke. I couldnt afford much more. All I had was welded on, spin off plumbing pipe dumps like most every one else. It was all still more fun than I can even explain weather I won or lost. Where I was it wasnt all about the benjamins (although that helped) but the bragging rights.......Bill S

[Ziggysdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: olredalert</div><div class="ubbcode-body">----If I can throw a bit of fuel on the fire, a &quot;street stock&quot; Hemi wasnt generally that fast a ride. I whipped more than a few of them, and have owned more than a few of them. That part was relatively easy as weight was the difference. The guys that dug into them a bit (not just posers with an idle and an emblem) found that they needed about two more points of compression and a bit wilder cam. Any sort of good internals didnt hurt either. That plus good exhaust and a gear and any hemi around Akron Ohio would spank just about anybody who was willing to come out to play. Just the same as many here, I know as I was there!!! I used to get drilled on a regular basis when the serious Hemi guys came out as my 66 427/425 Vette only had a 3:70. No matter how much tuning we did we would not get the job done when they showed up unless they broke. I couldnt afford much more. All I had was welded on, spin off plumbing pipe dumps like most every one else. It was all still more fun than I can even explain weather I won or lost. Where I was it wasnt all about the benjamins (although that helped) but the bragging rights.......Bill S </div></div>

Exactly Bill. That is what I meant if I did not state it correctly. A stock street hemi needed help to match it's image. The two cars I referred to in the day were bone stock and they just did not run. They were 13.4 times at best. I still stand by my assertion that Mopar was the only brand that offered a real race motor ordered from the dealer whether it was a hemi or a max wedge. I will admit I never saw one on the street in the day. They really were not for daily driving and Mopar made that very clear. A modified street hemi with cam, headers and headwork would beat me more often then not, but my L78 motor was bone stock with the addition of tires and headers, and neither car touched me. Remember, the L78 in the Chevelle was the exact same motor that was in the 1965 396 Corvette. Chevy did not want to show up the Corvette so they &quot;downrated&quot; the same motor in the Chevelle. It wwas really 425hp or better not 375. You are also completely spot on, it was all bragging rights, money never entered into it in my circles. In 1966 it was all I could do to pay my car payment and insurance.

[Ziggysdad]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: [email protected]</div><div class="ubbcode-body">YES, both race cars from the factory. BUT if you saw a SS/AH cuda or dart or Kenny Montgomery's car you would not recognize them as you have 40 years ago. Yes, factory race cars like the Zl-1 camaro but nothing like the day you brought it home. Go to Cecil Couny this weekend to the NHRA DIV-1 race and give us a report on Monday what the Hemi cars or any other &quot;factory&quot; racecars look today compared to new. Check out the SS/C, 4 speed AMX with the dual quads that runs in the 9 teens. Aris Asdorian from Bethlehem, pa. Not like the showroom in these days. </div></div>

Sam
I did not throw in the ZL1 because that is comparing apples and oranges. Only 69 ZL1 cars were built, Stock out of the box they were a low 13's car. With tuning,tires and headers they turned mid 11's. At $7200.00 they were out of reach for just about anyone but the rich or sponsored teams, which in fact bought 20 of them. As a matter of fact 12 of the 69 cars actually had the motors removed and the motors were sold. As far as I remember, Mopar was the only car capapble of 12's off the showroom floor with no modifications. Everything that ran against them were built just for that reason. The Ford thunderbolt was not street legal and was not even built by Ford, the Pontiac SD's were not street legal and not available to the genral public. Chevy did not have a competitive platform in the day.(62,63,64,65)All these cars are great stuff and make the 60's a very special time. Enjoy.

[Ziggysdad]

Sorry I got off topic. This is a Mopar forum. I would be interested in hearing from anyone with a max wedge or hemi.

[njsteve]

Here's a cool 64 Sport Fury 426 Max Wedge I saw at the local cruise night last night. Black on black, four speed.